Pipe wrench having a pivotable and lon-



Jan. 24, 1956 E, N|CKERSON 2,731,868

PIPE WRENCH HAVING A PIVOTABLE AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE INNER JAW Filed Nov. 14, 1951 ATT RN United States Patent O PIPE WRENCH HAVING A PIVOTABLE AND LQN- GITUDINALLY MVABLE INNER JAW i Elmer Nickerson, Outlook, Mont., assigner to Lorna E. Harris, Concord, Calif.

Application November 14, 1951, Serial No. 256,182 6 Claims. (Cl. 81--92) 'Ille invention relates to a wrench for gripping workpieces comprising pipes or other cylindrical members.

ing drawings, in whic Figure l is a perspective view of a wrench embodying the features of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side of the wrench having the near the movable jaw in normal relation.

Figure 3 is a view of the parts shown in Figure 2, but with the movable parts disposed for a shifting of the movable jaw toward or away from the xed jaw.

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken at the broken line 4-4 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the relation of the wrench head parts after the wrench has released its grip on a cylindrical workpiece and .preparatory to swinging the wrench handle to obtain a fresh grip.

The features of my invention are particularly disclosed as embodied in the structure along the recess, providing a forward jaw portion 17 extending laterally from the recess and having a working edge face 17 in cooperative opposition to a working edge face 13 of the xed jaw 13.

A pivot pin 18 extends transversely through a circular Fatented Jan. 24, 1956 the ring 20 engaging the outer faces of the members which dene the recess, for retaining the pin in its place.

wrench is provided as a fabricated structure by fixing a pair of complementary cheek-plate members 21 and 22 to members 23 and 24 of like and uniform thickness which the head and handle portions of With reference to the relation of the member 23 to the handle portion of the stock assembly, it will be noted that a straight rear front edge portion 28 thereof abuts a rear outer edge portion 29 of the member 24 between the side plates 21 and 22, 24 otherwise extends Adjacent the rear end thereof, the members 21 and 22 and 24 are provided with registering holes which receive a tubular rivet 31 to unitarily secure the members together thereat as a spacer for the handle portions of the side plates 21 and 22, this member may be non-metallic. Also, longitudinal slots 33 may be cut in the handle portions of the view through the openings; said visible and generally protected side face portions of the member 24 may present size and trademark and patent-status indications, as desired.

It will now be noted that the front edge of the member 23 has, in order, a succession of straight mutually connected portions 34 and 35 and 36 connecting the rearward end of the jaw face 13' and the forward end of the rearward front edge portion 28 of the member, said edge portions all being perpendicular to the plane of the wrench. The edgeportion 34 is straight and smooth, while the edge portion 36 is provided with a straight line of clogging teeth 37 extending forwardly of the handle member 24 which is coplanar therewith, and the edge portion 35 connects the portions 34 and 36 which are parallel and mutually offset. A straight back edge portion 38 of the catch member 16 which is disposed opposite the (logging teeth 37 and extends rearwardly of the pivot pin 18 is provided with aline of complementary clogging teeth 39 for holding engagement with the clogging teeth 37 after the member 16 has been adjustably set along the head for a desired adjusted disposition of the hinging axis provided by the pivot pin 18. l

As particularly shown, a generally V-shaped notch 41 ht ving front and rear edges 41 and 41" extends into the member 16 from the -forward edge thereof, and is provided at its inner end with a cylindrical socket 42 for rotatively receiving a complementary head 43 provided at the extremity of a rearwardly-extending stem portion 44 of the member 1S which provides the jaw 17, the connection comprising a knuckle joint. A trigger arm portion 45 ot the member 16 extends forwardly of the pivot pin 18 at the opposite side of the socket from the pin to provide the front side fil of the notch 41 which terminates in the socket 42, and which is engaged by the confronting edge portion of the member 15 for limiting the swinging of the jaw member 1S away from the stock.

A spring means is constantly coactive between the members and 16 to urge a backward swinging of the member 15 about the knuckle joint 4t2- 43, and such a swinging of the member 16 about the pivot pin 18 as 4to normally engage the dogging teeth of the latter member with the opposed clogging teeth 37 of the stock member 2.3 to retain the member 16 against movement along the stock. As particularly shown, the aforesaid means comprises a helical tension spring 46 which extends forwardly from an anchorage point i7 of the member 16 to a connection with an arm i8 which is hinged to the member 15 for a limited rocking thereof with respect to the member. The present arm member i2 comprises a metallic strip bent upon itself to intermediately provide a shoe 49 for slidably engaging the front edge face 34 of the stock element 23, the different end portions of the strip respectively providing a stem portion 51 which is hingedly engaged with the member 1S and an ear portion 52 which provides an anchorage point 53 for the forward end of the spring 46. At its free end, the stem portion 51 of the arm 4S is provided with a cylindrical hinge knuckle 54 which is engaged in a cylindrical socket 55 formed at the inner end of a notch 56 extending into the member 15 from an intermediate point of its back edge.

A limited rocking movement of the arm 48 in the plane of the member 15 and about the axis of the knuckle joint 54-55 is permitted, such movement being limited by the alternative engagement of the stem with stops 57 and 58 comprising the lips of the notch 56. In the present structure, the arm ifi curves forwardly to the shoe 49, and the front arm and shoe faces are normally spaced from the opposed edge face of the member 15 which is generally complementary to the opposed arm face. The normal effective action of the spring 46 is such that the bearing face of the shoe d? is retained in engagement with the stock face Se, the stem 5l engages the member 15 is slightly spaced from the shoe, and the clogging teeth 37 of the stock are resiliently engaged by the clogging teeth 39 of the catch plate 16, the normal relation of the parts being particularly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings` The present clogging teeth 37 and 39 are shaped as isosceles triangles with respect to their base lines, whereby, under normal conditions, the catch plate 16 and the attached jaw member 15 may be moved either forwardly or rearwardly along the stock against a relatively light friction-al wedging coaction of the dogging'teeth 39 with the stock teeth to frictionally hold the jaw in set position with a ratchet action which is primarily utilized during a forward work-engaging movement of the jaw 17. l

For gripping and turning a cylindrical workpiece W, which might comprise the pipe or tubular rod indicated in Figure 5, the movable jaw 17 is appropriately spaced from the iixed jaw 13 for the disposal of the jaws at opposite sides of the workpiece while the catch plate teeth 39 are disengaged from the stock teeth 37 by reason of the rocking of the catch plate caused in turn by an operator grasping the wrench head and squeezing the trigger arm 45 of the catch plate to the position shown in Figure 3. With a workpiece disposed between the working jaws and with the catch plate 16 free for rocking about the rearward stop 53,

faces of the in the art to which the invention appertains.

changes and developments may be made,

the pin 18, the jaw 17 is manually and forcibly advanced against the workpiece to rock the jaw plate 15 outwardly to, or approximately to, the limit permitted by the arm of the catch plate 16 after the ratchet engagement of the plate 16 with the stock.

A turning of the installed wrench about a gripped workpiece in an appropriate direction, which is clockwise in either Figure 2 or Figure 5, will rock the jaw 17 toward the stock face 34 and effect a cooperative jamming grip of the workpiece between the jaws while positively anchoring the plate 16 to the stock by the coaction of the clogging teeth; it will be understood that said actions are due to the fact that the rearward swinging of the jaw face 17 moves the latter toward the iixed jaw face 13' while the work-gripping reaction of the jaw plate 15 rocks the catch plate 16 to effect a positive interlocked engagement of the catch plate teeth 39 with the stock teeth 37. lt will also be understood that a reverse rotation of the wrench about a gripped cylindrical workpiece will move the jaw plate 15 from its Figure 2 to its Figure 5 position so as to permit a ratcheting action with respect vto the workpiece.

While the present wrench has the working face of its tixed jaw oblique to the longitudinal stock axis, it will be understood that the jaw angle might be varied or be made ninety degrees, provided only that the gripping face 17 of the movable jaw 17 extends forwardly from a line perpen# dicular to it and extending through the axis of the knuckle joint provided by the head 43 and socket 42 of the plates 15 and 16 respectively. It is also to be noted that the various metallic plate elements of the wrench maycomprise sheet -steel stampings in a particularly strong and rigid structure which is relatively thin for its possible working application in narrow spaces.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the present wrench will be readily understood by those skilled While I have described the structure and use of a form of my invention which I now consider to comprise a preferred embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood-that the disclosure is primarily illustrative, and that` such when desired, as fall within the scope of the following claims.

1 claim: v

l. In a pipe wrench, an elongated stock providing a jaw extending iixedly from the front side thereof and having a working edge portion directed transversely of said stock side, said stock having a line of dogging elements provided along said side thereof, a movable jaw comprising a plate member having a workingedge portion for Workgripping coactionwith the working edge of said fixed jaw, a catch plate hingedly connected to the movable jaw plate to extend rearwardly thereof, said catch plate having dogging elements along a back edge portion thereof for cooperatively engaging the clogging elements of thestock, spaced cheek-plate member portions of the stock extending beyond said front side having the doggingelements and cooperative to guidedly and retainedly receive `the jaw plate and catch plate between them, and means pivotally mounting the catch member directly on the cheekplates for its rocking between positions in which its dogging teeth are operative or inoperative with respect to the dogging elements of the-stockv and for its sliding adjustment along the stock when inoperative.

2. A structure in accordance with claim l wherein the last means comprises a pivot pin engaged through the catch plate and having its ends slidably engaged in mutually parallel guide slots provided in the cheek-plates.

3. ln a pipe wrench, an elongated stock providinga iixed jaw extending from its front side at its forward end and having clogging teeth provided along a portion of said side rearwardly of the jaw, a catch member extending in front of the stock and provided with clogging teeth the dogging elements are 6 normally engaging the teeth of the stock, a pivot means of its pivot axis along a line longitudinal of the stock mounting the catch member on the stock for adjustments and for its independent and manual rocking to disenof its pivot axis along a line longitudinal of the stock and gage its teeth from the stock teeth a movable Jaw memfor its independent and manual rocking to disengage its ber carried by the catch member and hingedly connected fixed jaw, a yielding means normally cooperative between 10 other end in slidable engagement With an untoothed dogging teeth of the catch member are maintained in inter- Stock teethlocked engagement with the locking teeth of the stock and 6. Iii a pipe wrench of the character described, an a trigger arm extending forwardly trom the catch member elongated Stock providing a fixed 1aw extending from its opposite and outwardly of the movable Jaw for manual enfront side at an end thereof and having dogging teeth gagement to rock the catch member for freeing its teeth plOVlded along a 110111011 0f Sald front 51de and having from the teeth of the stock. planar cheek plate portions extending beyond said front 4. In a pipe wrench, an elongated stock providing a side portion of the stock to define an outwardly-extendxed jaw extending from its front side at its forward ing Channel 0f uniform Wldtll therealorlg, a CatCll member end and having doggng teeth provided alona a portion slidably engaged in the channel to extend therefrom for of said side rearwardly of the jaw, a catch member extS manual engagement and ProVded With (logging teeth the stock and for its independent and manual rocking of said pivot axis along a line in front of and longitudiconnected thereto at a point thereof in front of the line With and for an Independent rookmg movement about of adjustment of the pivot means and extending for- Said PlVot eXlS Said rocking movement dlselgagmg tbe wardly of said point to present its working face opposite teeth of said catch member from the stock teeth, and a e working face of the xed jaw and a tension sprmg movable Jaw member disposed in the channel and swm directly operative between the catch member and the ably Conneeted to the oatell member at a Pol-nt thereof movable Jaw member and in aline between the pivot points ln front of the lme of adJUStment of Said PIVot Pm aXlS, of the pivoted members and the confronting edge of the sald movable Jew member being SWmgable about an axis with the fixed jaw to release its grip on a workpiece the moVableeW toward the Stocktai'ned in interlocked engagement with the locking teeth of References Cited in the me of this Patent thstlkh l t d t k din UNITED STATES PATENTS a Ppe WIellC an e Ongae SOC pI'OVl g a fixed jaw extending from its front side at its forward end 0 Islrlllclgn "Jlslp and having clogging teeth provided along a portion of 916376 Sievert Maz 23 1909 said side rearwardly of the jaw, a catch member extend 930132 B em ett Au' 3 1909 ing 1n front of the stock and provided with dogging teeth 1 607557 Nickersog "Novgl 1926 

